Daughter
of a white psychopomp and a Chinese apothecary, Elouise “Lou”
Merriweather has taken up her father’s calling, sending the restless
dead to the next world. It’s a dangerous calling, but as a person of
mixed race (not to mention a woman who prefers men’s clothing) in the
exuberantly bigoted world that is 19
th
century America, it’s not as if Lou has a lot of career options open
to her.

Now
Lou is adding a new occupation to her career portfolio: consulting
detective. Chinatown’s young men have been heading into the interior
of Colorado, enticed by a dubious job offer. None have returned. The
authorities could not care less what happens to Chinese-Americans, so
it falls to Lou to accept a commission from her estranged mother and
investigate the case of the disappearing men.